Overview
Position: Running back
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 211 pounds
School: Ohio State Buckeyes
Combine Performance Data
40-yard dash: 4.47 seconds (tied for third among running backs)
Bench press: 22 reps
Vertical jump: 33.5 inches
Mike Weber 2019 NFL Draft Profile
Each once in a while, there are always a few prospects out of the state of Michigan who ultimately commit to Ohio State and vice-versa. Mike Weber certainly fits into that category. He was originally committed to Michigan, though, and was one of Urban Meyer‘s biggest recruiting coups in 2015. Weber was highly touted out of high school after rushing for 2,268 yards and 29 touchdowns as a senior at Cass Tech in the Detroit area. He was an ESPN Top 150 recruit and rated by Scout.com as Michigan’s top prospect.
Weber sat out the 2015 season which was Ezekiel Elliott‘s swansong in Columbus. But he announced his arrival to the college football world in a big way one year later. His 1,096 rushing yards were sixth in the Big Ten and second-most nationally among freshman running backs. It led to him earning freshman All-American, second-team all-Big Ten, and conference freshman of the year recognition. He joined Robert Smith and Maurice Clarett as the only Buckeye freshman to eclipse 1,000 yards rushing.
Weber’s production took a bit of a hit in 2017 after another Buckeye freshman, J.K. Dobbins, emerged as an impact player. He finished the season with just 626 yards but he did add 10 touchdowns which were one more than his total as a redshirt freshman. A year later, he experienced a bit of a resurgence as a junior considering he totaled 954 yards which were just 99 yards short of Dobbins’ mark. In the 2018 season opener, he impressed mightily for the eventual conference and Rose Bowl champs, tallying 186 rushing yards and four total touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving).
Strengths
- boasts a compact, muscular, and durable frame;
- seamlessly processes what’s in front of him and reacts accordingly;
- an instinctual runner who quickly finds seams to exploit;
- a downhill, north-south runner who’s no-nonsense when hitting holes;
- slippery and tough to bring down when he’s in open space;
- elusive when drifting towards the sidelines;
- plays with ideal center of gravity which positively affects contact balance;
Weaknesses
- somewhat lacking in terms of high-level initial burst;
- quick in a straight line but a bit subpar with respect to lateral athleticism;
- elusive in space but consistently gets brought down on first contact;
- limited tape from the standpoint of pass-catching production;
- consistently gets bottled up by second-level speed and power;
- not particularly impactful as a pass-blocker;
- production tapered off a bit after successful freshman campaign.
NFL Comparison: Alex Collins
Teams With Need at Position: Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins
Projection: Fifth to sixth round
Bottom Line
Weber put together three solid seasons for the Buckeyes before declaring for the draft. He definitely has the body type of many running backs making an impact at the next level. Add in his exceptional vision and the ability to make defenders miss in space and you have a prospect who should be able to produce in some capacity at the next level. His read and react instincts should also help him out.
Though his straight-line speed is above-average as he demonstrated at the Combine, he’s not particularly twitchy when moving laterally. This might inhibit his ability to break tackles against the elite power and speed he’ll see at the next level. There’s no doubting that his pass-catching acumen improved in 2018. But it still remains a question mark as to whether he can provide significant value in the passing game, both catching balls and as a blocker.
Where Weber projects is that of an early-down back capable of keeping his team on schedule from a down and distance standpoint. Though elements of his skill set might preclude him from becoming a consistent starter, there’s no doubting he can contribute. It may take time for him to see the field on a consistent basis. But he should become an invaluable asset to an NFL team’s run game as his career progresses.
